FILM SERIES/Found in the Making: Films about Self-Taught Artists

Co-presented by the Foundation for Self-Taught American Artists, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Film @ International House, Penn Humanities Forum, and the Bryn Mawr Film Institute

Most self-taught American artists have come from very humble backgrounds, and their resonant stories demonstrate that artistic achievement can be found in unexpected places. The Foundation for Self-Taught American Artists aims to create a deeper understanding and broader appreciation of self-taught art through the production, acquisition, promotion, and distribution of documentary films.

The Foundation’s first documentary film project, James Castle: Portrait of an Artist, is the catalyst for a film series about self-taught artists, and provides a forum for compelling discussions about a little-known, yet important area of contemporary art. Film curators and educators at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Bryn Mawr Film Institute, the Penn Humanities Forum, and International House have assembled an eclectic roster of film screenings, panel discussions, and talks about a group of visual artists whose evocative work expands our thinking, challenges our perceptions, and stirs our passions.

Wednesday, October 15 at 7:30pm |

James Castle: Portrait of an Artist

James Castle was born deaf in central Idaho in 1899. He refused to learn to read, write, sign or finger-spell, communicating instead through the eloquence of his art. Since his death in 1977, Castle has gained world recognition as a prominent self-taught artist. As told by family members, art historians, curators, artists, collectors and members of the deaf community, Castle's inspirational story is one of monumental achievement.

Followed by a conversation between Jeffrey Wolf, writer-director-producer, and Jacqueline Crist, owner of J Crist Gallery, Boise, and manager of the Castle estate. For additional info visit: www.brynmawrfilm.org

Thursday, October 23 at 7:00pm |

Visions of Paradise: Three Films about American Self-Taught Artists

These magical and entertaining films, full of humor, tragedy and wisdom, capture the wonder and excitement of art made outside the mainstream art world. Each film captures the artist in the moment of creation, shows the art in its environment and depicts events which shaped each artist’s work. Linked by a common belief in the American Dream, these visionaries have created Visions of Paradise.

Possum Trot (1977) Calvin Black was an artist from California's Mojave Desert who created more than 80 life-size female dolls, each with its own personality, function and costume. He also built the Bird Cage Theater where dolls perform and sing in voices recorded by the artist.

Grandma's Bottle Village Grandma's Bottle Village (1982) Grandma Tressa Prisbrey built the first bottle house for her 17,000 pencils. This was the beginning of The Bottle Village in Simi Valley, CA. At 84, Grandma Prisbrey is a vivacious guide to her brilliant houses crammed with objects scavenged from the county dump.

The Angel That Stands By Me: Minnie Evans' Paintings (1983) Minnie Evans is the embodiment of the visionary artist. An African American painter from Wilmington, NC, she created a world of mythical animals, religious symbols, and natural beauty. She began painting in 1935 after receiving a vision. Minnie was the gate keeper at Wilmington’s historic Airlie Gardens, from 1949 to 1974, where she did most of her work.

Screening at International House, Philadelphia. $7 general admission. Followed by a Q&A with Molly Dougherty, executive director of the Foundation for Self-Taught American Artists; Jeffrey Wolf, writer-director-producer of James Castle: Portrait of an Artist, and Edward Puchner, Barra Foundation Fellow, Center for American Art, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Wednesday, November 19 at 5:00pm |

Penn Humanities Forum: Changing the Canon: Self-Taught Artists
James Castle: Portrait of an Artist

Screening followed by a panel discussion featuring:

• Jeffrey Wolf, writer-director-producer
• Ann Percy, curator of drawings, Philadelphia Museum of Art
• John Ollman, owner, Fleisher/Ollman Gallery
• Brendan Greaves, folklorist, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Wendy Steiner, (moderator) director of the Penn Humanities Forum

For additional info available click here. Screening at International House, Philadelphia. Free admission.

Thursday, December 11 at 7pm |

I Build the Tower

Watts Towers, the monumental Los Angeles landmark now recognized throughout the world as an artistic and engineering masterpiece was built by Italian immigrant Sam Rodia. Working alone from the 1920s to 1950s, he created unique and majestic spires decorated with a mosaic of tile, seashells, pottery, ceramics, rocks and glass rising to a hundred feet. Slated for demolition in the late ‘50s, the Towers transcend the category of “outsider” or “folk” art and in 1990, listed as one of nine folk art sites on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark.

Screening at International House, Philadelphia. Free admission members above Internationalist level; $5 Internationalist members, students + seniors; $7 general admission.

Sunday, January 4, 2009, at 3:30pm |

James Castle: Portrait of an Artist

Film screening at the Van Pelt Auditorium, Philadelphia Museum of Art, followed by a Q&A with writer-director-producer Jeffrey Wolf. Free with Museum admission.

"James Castle: A Retrospective," an exhibition organized by Philadelphia Museum of Art's curator of drawings Ann Percy, is on view from October 14 through January 4.